Four former Steelers are one step closer to football immortality as they advanced to the voting process for the Modern-Era Players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Those who advanced are kicker Gary Anderson, linebacker James Harrison, center Maurkice Pouncey and receiver Hines Ward.
Anderson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 1982 NFL Draft, but was released before the start of the season and signed by the Steelers, where he went on to play 12 seasons, earning three Pro Bowl selections and was a first team Associated Press All-Pro selection in 1985.
Anderson, who played for the Steelers from 1982-94, still ranks as the team's all-time leader in total points scored with 1,343. He had 309 field goals and 416 PATs. For a season, Anderson holds the fourth spot, with 139 points in 1985, which included 33 field goals and 40 PATs.
Anderson also ranks first in field goals made with his 309, and also first with 416 PATs in his career.
Anderson was named to the NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Team and was named to the Steelers All-Time Team in 2007.
Anderson's career in the NFL continued until 2004, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995-96), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Minnesota Vikings (1998-2002), and Tennessee Titans (2003-04).
Harrison, who was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist three times (2023-25), was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year during the 2008 Super Bowl season, finishing the season with 16 sacks, a team record at the time that has since been surpassed by T.J. Watt.
He was voted first-team Associated Press All-Pro twice, a Pro Bowl selection five consecutive years (2007-11) and twice voted Steelers MVP (2007-08). His 100-yard interception return for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII was a legendary play he will forever be remembered for.
Harrison, who originally signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2002, played 14 seasons with the team and has 80.5 career sacks.
Pouncey, who is in his first year of eligibility, was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 18th overall pick. Shortly after Pouncey arrived at Saint Vincent College for his rookie training camp, he earned the starting job, and he held it from that day until he decided to end his NFL career.
In his rookie season he would stabilize a position previously held by journeymen Sean Mahan and Justin Hartwig for a team that went on to reach Super Bowl XLV. Pouncey was unable to play in the Super Bowl after injuring an ankle in the AFC Championship Game victory over the New York Jets. He won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award that season, given annually to the team's Rookie of the Year by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America, becoming the first offensive lineman to win it since 2000.
Pouncey didn't need much time to establish himself as a starter in the NFL, and he quickly built on his growing resume. He became the first center in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons (2010-12) and went on to be a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. He was twice voted first-team Associated Press All-Pro (2011, 2014) and was a second-team AP All-Pro selection three times (2010, 2012 and 2018).
Pouncey was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade team for the 2010s, an honor Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster earned in the 1970s and 1980s, with a spot on an All-Decade team typically leading to being enshrined in Canton.
Pouncey was a steady leader on offense, someone who guided the younger players while still showing a shining example for even the most seasoned veterans. It was that leadership that had his teammates select him as an offensive team captain four times (2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020).
Ward, who was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist nine straight years (2017-25), played 14 seasons for the Steelers, after being selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft.
He had 1,000 career receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns. His versatility was always on display with his blocking ability a shining example of that.
Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL after leading the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. In three Super Bowls, Ward registered 14 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.
The Steelers 2008 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Ward was named to four Pro Bowls (2002-05) and was a member of the team's 75th Season All-Time Team. Ward was selected by his teammates as the Steelers MVP three times in his career, including 2002 along with Joey Porter, 2003, and 2005 with Casey Hampton.
From the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
Each member of the Modern-Era Players Screening Committee, an entity created a year ago to make the first reductions from the original list of nominees, cast a ballot for 50 individuals whom they believe should be considered for election. This year's roster of nominees included 128 names – 77 offensive players, 42 defensive players and nine special teams players.
Under Hall of Fame bylaws, ties for the 50th position also remain eligible for the Class of 2026.
In the next step of the process, each member of the Hall of Fame's full 50-person Selection Committee will review the above list and cast a vote for the 25 nominees each believes should advance to the Semifinalist stage. The names of the 25 Semifinalists (plus ties, if any, for the 25th position) will be announced in about five weeks.
Eventually, 20 Finalists will be presented at the Selection Committee's annual meeting next year in advance of Super Bowl LX: 15 Modern-Era Players, three Seniors, one Coach and one Contributor. While there is no set number of enshrinees for any class, the Hall of Fame's selection process bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 will be enshrined next August in Canton.
